I couldn’t believe it when I heard it: An office assistant in my doctor’s office told me over the phone that the only way I could guarantee that my doctor would deliver my baby is if I had a scheduled caesarean section. Otherwise, I’d be subject to whoever was on call. Maybe my doctor; maybe not.

After the initial shock, I got mad. I’m not opposed to having a C-section – if I actually medically require one. In fact, I almost had an emergency C-section five years ago during labor with my son. I was carted away as nurses walked while dressing my husband in scrubs. My doctor zoomed into the operating room and in one swift movement someone handed him a scalpel. When he realized I hadn’t had an epidural, he decided to re-check the baby’s vital signs. They were up. He stopped and told me that I could have one more chance to deliver naturally. If the vitals dropped one more time, he would operate. I trusted him, and I gave birth within the hour.